Unmatched Wife: Not His To Claim Anymore novel Chapter 47

MIA

I stood in the kitchen of the house I’d dreamed about for over a year, surrounded by expensive appliances and I felt nothing but hollow frustration because I had it and still I wasn’t satisfied.

This was supposed to be my victory. My triumph. This took thirteen months or careful and secretive planning and also strategic manipulation to make Bianca seem the bad guy and it worked.

Bianca was dead. Matthew was free. I’d literally stolen the life I’d always wanted and envious that she got to have–the house, the husband, the position, everything.

So why did it feel like I was losing?

Upstairs, I could hear Theo moving around in his room. He’d locked himself in again this morning, had screamed at me to go away when I’d tried to bring him breakfast, had refused to even let me touch him in weeks since he found out he wasn’t going to see his mummy again. The same little boy who’d begged me to be his new mother now couldn’t stand the sight of me.

“It’s just grief,” I told myself, trying to convince myself more that he needed time to process being a child.

I used this to hold my self as I was reaching for the coffee Matthew had made before leaving for his meeting with the elder

council.

“He’ll come around once he adjusts. Once he realizes I’m not going anywhere.”

But even as I said it, doubt slowly crept in. It had been almost two weeks since Bianca’s “death,” and if anything, Theo’s hatred for me had definitely intensified.

And Matthew was worse.

I’d expected that with Bianca gone, we could finally be together properly. That he’d turn to me for comfort, that we would make each other and lobe each other for the rest of our lives.

Instead, he looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time and didn’t particularly like what he saw.

He’d been distant. Withdrawn. Spending hours locked in his office reviewing security footage or poring over documents I wasn’t allowed to see. When I tried to comfort him, he pulled away. When I suggested we make our relationship official, he made excuses about needing time.

Time. As if we hadn’t already wasted thirteen months on Bianca’s stubborn refusal to die when she was supposed to.

I took a sip of coffee and grimaced. It had gone cold while I was lost in thought.

The house felt too quiet, too empty despite Theo being upstairs. I’d thought taking over Bianca’s space would feel triumphant.

Instead, it felt like I was living in a museum or a show room that had been dedicated to someone else’s life. Like I was an imposter playing a role I wasn’t supposed to have at all.

And then there was the other problem. The one that made my skin crawl with anxiety every time I thought about it.

The Luna essence,

When Dr. Hartwick had performed the ritual, he had promised me that it would work without any hitches and that I would have everything she’d possessed. The healing gifts, the pack bond, the authority that came with being Luna.

“You’ll feel it immediately,” he’d assured me. “The moment the transfer is complete, you’ll sense the pack members‘ emotions. They’ll be drawn to you, wanting to please you, to serve you. It’s instinctive.”

Chapter 47

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But I felt nothing.

No connection to the pack. No sense of their emotions. No pull of authority or power that should have come with the Luna title.

At first, I’d thought it was just taking time to settle. That my body needed to adjust to the new magical signature. But it had been two weeks, and if anything, I felt weaker than before the ritual. More drained. Like something essential was missing.

Yesterday, I’d gone to the grocery store. This was my first public appearance since the ritual. I’d expected deference, respect, from the people who were supposed to serve me and look at me with awe and respect.

Instead, I’d gotten rolled eyes and whispered comments.

“That’s her,” one woman had muttered to her companion as I passed. “The homewrecker.”

“I heard she’s the reason the Luna died,” another had responded, not bothering to lower her voice. “Seduced the Alpha while his wife was working herself to death.”

“Poor Theo. That boy’s going to grow up knowing his mother died to save his father’s mistress.”

I had wanted to confront them, to assert my authority as the new Luna, to make them show proper respect to me.

But the words had died in my throat because deep down, I’d known the truth: they didn’t see me as Luna worthy of their time and respect. They weren’t blind to the truth. They saw me as an interloper. An opportunist who’d stolen another woman’s place. And without the Luna essence to compel their loyalty, I had no way to change their minds.

I pulled out my phone, scrolling to Dr. Hartwick’s number. My fingers trembled slightly as I pressed call.

He answered on the third ring, his voice wary. “Ms. Roberts.”

“We need to talk,” I said without exchanging pleasantries skipping to the main issue that had made me call him..this call was risky, because Matthew could be backa any moment and I had to maintain the facade or he would start investigating more and discover the truth. “About the ritual. About why I’m not feeling the effects you promised.”

A pause. Too long. “These things take time. The magical integration has to settle down”

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